AIMS: To test different Lactobacillus strains for their antipathogenic activity towards Candida strains and their adhesion properties for the preparation of vaginal ovules and douches to be used in ...vaginal candidiasis prevention. METHODS AND RESULTS: Five strains of lactobacilli were tested for their antimicrobial potential against different clinically isolated Candida strains. They were also screened for their ability to produce hydrogen peroxide and to coaggregate with pathogens. Adhesion properties of the five different Lactobacillus strains to HeLa cells and the presence of arcA gene were also assessed. The in vitro experiments demonstrated that all the five Lactobacillus strains tested possessed inhibitory action against the Candida strains using the radial streak method, but the effect is strain dependent. The same situation arises with regard to the ability of coaggregation that is present in all the strains into different degrees. Only Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501®and Lactobacillus paracasei IMC 502®were able to produce H₂O₂and none of the strains possess arcA gene. The most adherent strains to HeLa cells were Lact. rhamnosus IMC 501®, Lact. paracasei IMC 502®and also their combination SYNBIO®. This latter was selected for the preparation of ovules and douches using different matrix. Witepsol®ovules have proved the best formulation in terms of probiotic viability. CONCLUSIONS: Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501®, Lact. paracasei IMC 502®and SYNBIO®were able to produce H₂O₂, to coaggregate and to exert antimicrobial activity against pathogenic Candida strains and to strongly adhere to HeLa cells. All these properties together with those technological make these strains good candidates for the realization of formulations suitable for vaginal health. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: To develop new vaginal formulations taking into account the impact of probiotic strains on pathogens as well as the technological properties of the strains to validate their effectiveness in human health.
This review highlights the recent achievements in replacing precious-metal-based catalysts with nonprecious-metal-based catalysts in two important syntheses: hydroamination and C–N coupling ...reactions. The reported improvements are discussed in direct relation to the nature of the ligands, catalyst preparation methods, and the selection of other additives. Syntheses using ligand-free catalysts are also analyzed.
•Supported Ir, Pd, Rh and Ru catalysts were examined for the synthesis of sorbitol.•Ru-BEA was found to be the most active for the conversion of cellulose.•The high activity of Ru was assigned to the ...generation of Brønsted sites in water.•Ir-BEA was found to be the most selective for the formation of sorbitol.•The high selectivity of Ir was correlated with the d-band width of the metal.
Supported Ir, Pd, Rh and Ru catalysts were examined for the conversion of glucose and cellulose in water in the presence of hydrogen. The catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of a BEA zeolite (SiO2/Al2O3=21.6, Ssp=739m2/g) with acetylacetonate metal precursors. Among these catalysts, Ru-BEA was found to be the most active for the conversion of cellulose, while Ir-BEA was found to be the most selective for the formation of sorbitol. Thus, the highest yield to sorbitol was found in the presence of 3wt%Ru/BEA catalyst irrespective of the raw material nature (glucose or cellulose). It corresponded to a value of 22% for the conversion of the commercial cellulose, and of 72.8% for the conversion of glucose. The Ru-BEA catalyst was followed by the 3wt%Ir-BEA that led to a yield of 55.3% for glucose and 22% for cellulose but to a much higher selectivity, i.e. over 99.9% for glucose and 89.2% for cellulose. While the high selectivity of Ir to sorbitol was correlated with the d-band width of the metal, the high activity of Ru for the cellulose conversion was assigned to the generation of H+ and Ru(H2O)5OH2+ as Brønsted acids by Ru species in water. Finally, the addition of pure nanoscopic hydroxylated SnF4 to the 3wt%Ir-BEA catalyst led to a conversion of cellulose of almost 99% after only 3h with a selectivity to sorbitol of 72.5%.
Background and Aims The role of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in Barrett’s early neoplasia is not well defined, with most studies originating from Asia and Europe. We aimed to assess the ...efficacy, safety, and results of ESD in Barrett’s esophagus (BE) with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and early adenocarcinoma (EAC) across centers in the United States. Methods Multicenter retrospective analysis on 46 patients with BE who underwent ESD for BE-HGD or EAC, or both, between January 2010 and April 2015. The primary endpoint was the rate of en bloc resection. Secondary aims included rate of R0 (complete) and curative resection, a comparison of pre- and post-ESD histology, procedure-related adverse events, and rate of remission at follow-up. Results Median age was 69 years (range, 42-82 years). The median resected specimen size was 45 mm (range, 13-125 mm). En bloc and curative resection rates were 96% (44/46) and 70% (32/46), respectively. Most lesions (11/20; 55%) diagnosed as BE-HGD on biopsy were upstaged to intramucosal or invasive EAC on post-ESD histopathology. There were 4 early (<48 hours) adverse events (3 bleeding and 1 perforation), and all were treated endoscopically. Seven patients (15%) developed esophageal strictures that were managed endoscopically. Complete remission of BE neoplasia was found in 100% (32/32) of patients with curative resection at median follow-up of 11 months (range, 2-25 months). Conclusions This is the largest multicenter series of ESD for early neoplastic BE from the United States. ESD appears to be safe and effective, with high en bloc and curative resection rates in the treatment of early BE neoplasia.
Sensor-Cloud Systems (SCS) are designed to link sensor networks and cloud applications, in order to gather and process information. While this is a hot topic for both academia and industry, with a ...large number of implementations, not much effort was put towards analysing the reliability of these systems. This article presents an experimental implementation of a system in the field of intelligent products and explores reliability improving techniques in five main areas of the SCS: network communication performance, auto recovery, local backup, automated software testing and system security. They all play an important role in determining the level of reliability of the novel Internet of Things (IoT) architecture framework for intelligent products presented in the article. A new formula is proposed for assessing the reliability of a SCS based on metrics from each of the five areas. Metrics used to assess the system reliability are presented, along with comparisons between operating with improvement techniques and without them. The results show that the reliability of the implemented SCS is improved considerably by implementing a deliberate reliability policy using an original five level tiered approach.
Structural right ventricular (RV) abnormalities are present in a substantial proportion of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), but the trigger for RV hypertrophy remains unclear. The aim ...of this study was to assess the relationship between RV and left ventricular (LV) remodeling and the impact of biventricular involvement on clinical status in this setting.
Ninety-nine patients with HCM and 30 normal subjects with a similar age and gender distribution were prospectively enrolled. Comprehensive echocardiography was performed in all, including the assessment of LV and RV function by tissue Doppler and speckle-tracking echocardiography. Measurement of RV free wall thickness (RVWT) was performed at end-diastole, in a zoomed subcostal view, focusing on the RV midwall.
Patients with HCM had increased RVWT (6.4 ± 1.9 vs 3.6 ± 0.8 mm, P < .001) and lower values of RV global longitudinal strain (-19.4 ± 4.4% vs -23.8 ± 2.7%, P < .001) compared with control subjects. RVWT was independently related to LV mass and LV global longitudinal strain. Increased RVWT was correlated with New York Heart Association class (r = 0.20, P = .04) and calculated sudden cardiac death risk score (r = 0.52, P < .001) and was independently related to the presence of ventricular arrhythmias (odds ratio, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.28-3.19; P = .002).
In patients with HCM, the presence of RV hypertrophy was associated with increased LV mass and reduced LV longitudinal strain, correlated with increased calculated sudden cardiac death risk score, and independently related to the presence of ventricular arrhythmias. These data suggest more severe disease in patients with biventricular HCM.
Aims
Probiotics have the ability to enhance the immune system, produce anti‐inflammatory action and promote wound healing process. The first aim of the study was to isolate pathogenic micro‐organisms ...from sites of chronic ulcerative lesion. The second aim was to evaluate probiotic efficacy of SYNBIO® (1:1 combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501® and Lactobacillus paracasei IMC 502®) in counteracting wound infections.
Methods and Results
Several bacterial pathogens were isolated from chronic ulcerative lesions and identified by morphological, biochemical and molecular techniques. SYNBIO® probiotic formulation was investigated for its antimicrobial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration, co‐aggregation and adherence capacity against the isolated pathogens. Moreover, SYNBIO was also tested in combination with some medical devices, using an in vitro model, in order to simulate a real ulcerative wound infection. Probiotic formulation demonstrated an inhibitory action against all the tested pathogens and their mixture (MIX), with an increased ability of co‐aggregation during time. In addition, the adhesion percentage of probiotic micro‐organisms to human keratinocyte (HaCaT cells) and human fibroblasts (NHF), calculated by an in vitro model, was 19% and 17% respectively, highlighting the possibility to create a protective environment preventing pathogens’ biofilm formation in order to contrast infections.
Conclusions
SYNBIO® probiotics showed a very good antimicrobial capacity and adhesion percentage to HaCaT cells and fibroblasts, giving the opportunity to be successfully used as complement to conventional therapies in the treatment of chronic ulcerative lesions.
Significance and Impact of the Study
A new therapeutic approach with probiotics (supplemented in topical applications, excluding side effects) able to eliminate pathogenic micro‐organisms and improve healing of chronic ulcerative lesions.
Nb(0.05 moles%)-zeolites prepared via a post synthesis methodology (BEA, Y, ZSM-5), or a direct sol-gel method (Silicalite-1) were investigated in the hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) oxidation by both ...molecular oxygen, in aqueous phase, and organic peroxides, in acetonitrile. The catalysts prepared through the post synthesis methodology (i.e., Nb-Y5, Nb-ZSM25, Nb-Y30, Nb-BEA12, and Nb-BEA18) displayed a mono-modal mesoporosity and contain residual framework Al-acid sites, extra framework isolated Nb(V)O-H and Nb
O
pore-encapsulated clusters, while Nb-Sil-1, prepared through a direct synthesis procedure, displayed a bimodal micro-mesoporosity and contains only -Nb=O species. These modified zeolites behave as efficient catalysts in both HMF/glucose wet oxidation to succinic acid (SA) and HMF oxidation with organic peroxides to the 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The catalytic behavior of these catalysts, in terms of conversion and especially the selectivity, mainly depended on the base/acid sites ratio. Thus, the HMF/glucose wet oxidation occurred with a total conversion and a selectivity to SA of 37.7% (from HMF) or 69.1% (from glucose) on the Nb-Y5 catalyst, i.e., the one with the lowest base/acid sites ratio. On the contrary, the catalysts with the highest base/acid sites ratio, i.e., Nb-ZSM25 and Nb-Sil-1, afforded a high catalytic efficiency in HMF oxidation with organic peroxides, in which FDCA was produced with selectivities of 61.3-63.8% for an HMF conversion of 96.7-99.0%.
AIMS: To characterize in vitro the ability of human Lactobacillus strains to inhibit the adhesion, to displace and to compete with clinically isolated Candida strains. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three ...types of assays were performed to determine the inhibitory effect of Lactobacillus plantarum 319, Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501®, Lactobacillus paracasei IMC 502® and a specific probiotic combination (SYNBIO®) on adhesion of Candida pathogens to HeLa cells: blockage by exclusion (lactobacilli and HeLa followed by pathogens), competition (lactobacilli, HeLa and pathogens together) and displacement (pathogens and HeLa followed by the addition of lactobacilli). Bacterial adhesion to HeLa was quantified by microscopy after May‐Grünwald/Giemsa stain. The inhibition results highlight a significant (P < 0·05) competition of the considered probiotics against all the Candida strains. The results suggest that the probiotic strains used in this study could prevent colonization of the urogenital tract by relevant pathogens such as Candida strains through barrier and interference mechanisms (mainly displacement and competition), but the degree of inhibition of adhesion was bacterial strain‐dependent. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the potential of these Lactobacillus probiotic strains as anti‐infective agents in the vagina and encourage further studies about their capacity to prevent and manage urogenital tract infections in females. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: To optimize the defensive properties of the vaginal microbiota, improving the health of many women by probiotic intervention.
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